Snellville council adopts resolution asking Gwinnett County to deny proposed 300-unit Athens Highway rezoning

The Snellville mayor and council on July 13 approved Resolution 2026-03 asking the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to deny a proposed rezoning at 1160 Athens Highway — the site commonly called Peddler's Emporium — that would allow a roughly 300-unit apartment complex in unincorporated Gwinnett County adjacent to Snellville.

The mayor explained the city’s comprehensive plan designates only three areas for higher-density multifamily development — the town center, an activity node at Rockdale Circle/Grayson Highway (Highway 78) near the QuickTrip intersection, and the area around Highway 78 and Rosebud Road — and said the 1160 Athens Highway proposal falls outside those designated nodes. "These particular parcels are down at the end of the city where the city lines go in and out," the mayor said, arguing the apartments "do not belong in that area."

Councilmembers emphasized traffic and safety concerns and local planning consistency. Mayor Pro Tem Norman Carter, who said he lives near the area, told the council there is "no safe way for ingress and egress" and described the nearby intersection as accident-prone. Several councilmembers said the council does not control Gwinnett County zoning but can register its official opposition to the rezoning to influence county decision-makers.

A motion to approve the resolution passed with five votes in favor and one abstention. Councilmember Kath Hardrick explained her abstention as a concern about process transparency for some local appointments earlier in the meeting rather than the merits of opposing the rezoning.

The resolution is nonbinding on Gwinnett County; it formally communicates Snellville’s position and will be part of the record for the county's review of the developer’s application. Todd Warner, a resident who told the council he will speak before the county commission, said he expects to oppose the zoning at the county hearing.